The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-09-24
THE CENTENARY OF STEAM.
An American inventor Who Should be
honored with Stephenson.
New York Times.l

The high pressure steam engine in its sta
tionary form is almost ubiquitous in America
In all great iron and steel works, in all fact
cries, in all plants for lighting cities with
electricity, in brief, wherever in the United
States great power in compact form is
wanted, there will be found the high-pressure
steam engine furnishing all the power re-
quired, and more, too, if more is demanded,
because it appears to be equal to every
human requisition. But go beyond America
Go to Great Britain, and the American steam
engine-although it is not termed American
in Great Britian-will be found fast super
seding the English engine-in other words,
James Watts condensing engine. II is the
same the world over. On all the earth there
is not a steam locomotive that could turn a
wheel but for the fact that, in common with
every locomotive from the earliest introduc-
ton of that invention. it is simply the Amer
can steam engine put on wheels, and it was
first put on wheels by its American inventor
Oliver Evans, being the same Oliver Evans
to whom the State of Maryland granted the
before mentioned patent Of 1884,.
He Is the same Oliver Evans whom Elijah
Galloway, the British writer on the steam
engine, compared with James Watt as to the
authorship of the locomotive, or rather
"steam carriage" as the locomotive was in
those days termed. After showing the un-
fitness of Mr.. Watts low-pressure steam en-
CINE for locomotive purposes, Mr.. Galloway
more than fifty years ago, wrote: I'VE have
made these remarks in this place in order to
set at rest the title of Mr.. Watts to the in
vention of steam carriages. And, taking for
our rule that the party who first attempted
them in practice by mechanical arrange
ments of his own is entitled to the reputation
of being their inventor, Mr.. Oliver Evans
| of America, appears to us to be the person to
whom that honor is DUE" He is the same
| Oliver Evans whom the Mechanics Maya
| zine of London, the leading journal OF its
| kind at that period, had in mind, when, in
| its number Of September, 1880, it published
the official report of the competitive trial be-
| tween the steam carriages Rocket, San Pa
rel, Novelty, and others on the Liverpool
| and Manchester Railway. In that trial the
| company's engines developed about 10 miles
| in an hour and spurts of still higher speed.
1.-The Magazine points to the results OF the
I trial. and then under the heading Of "The
| First Protector of Steam Travelling" 1t de-
| clares that all that had been accomplished
| had beenanticipated and its feasibility prac-
| ticallv exei2plifed over quarter OF CEN
/ turv before nv Oliver Evans an American
| citizen. The Magazine showed that many
wears before the irial Mr.. Evans had offered
/ fo furnish steam carriages that, on level rail-
| WAYS. Should run at the rate or 300 miles in
| a day or he would not ask pay therefor. The
writer will state that this 91er Dy Nj; Evans d.
was made in November, 1olo, az Wnicn uate
not British steam carriage had YET accom-
| plished seven miles in an hour,
| In 1909 Mr.. Evans endeavoretht 70 <estaS .ish
| a steam railway both for freight and pas
senger traffic between New York and Phila-
delphia. offering to invest $500 per mile in
| the enterprise. At the date of his effort
there was not railway in the world over 1C
miles long, nor does there appear to be any
other human being who up to that date en-.
tertained even the thought of a steam rail
way for passenger and freight traffic. In
view of all this, is it at all surprising that
the British Mechanics Magazine declared
Oliver Evans, an American, to be the first
protector of steam railway travelling? In
1904 Mr.. Evans made most noteworthy
demonstration, his object being to practically
eXemplify that locom0ti0n could be impaired
by his high-pressure steam engine to both
carriages and boats, and the reader Will see
that the date of the demonstration was three
years before Fulton moved boat by means
of Watts low-pressure steam engine. The
machine used involved the original double
acting high-pressure steam engine, the origi-
nal steam locomotive, and the original high
weighing over 10 tons. Notwithstanding
there was no railway, except a temporary
one laid over slough in the path, MT
EVans's engine moved this great weight with
ease from the southeast corner Of Ninth and
Market streets, in the city Of Philadelphia,
one and half miles to the River Schuylkill
| There the machine was launched into the
river, and the land wheels being taken on
and paddle wheel attached to the stern and
connected with the engine the new
emptied into the Delaware, whence It turned
upward until it reached Philadelphia. al.
though this strange craft was square both al
bow and stern it nevertheless passed all up
bound ships and other sailing vessels IN III, rne
river, the wind being to them ahead. The
writer repeats that this thorough demon,
stration by Oliver Evans of the possibility OF
navigation by steam was made three years
before Fulton. But for more than quarter
OF a century prior to this demonstration Mr.
Evans had time and again asserted that YES
sells could be thus navigated. he ala mol
contend with John Fitch, but on the contra
ry, tried to aid him, and advised MN to use
other means than oars to propel MS Doat
But Fitch was welded to his own methods
In 1O5 Mr.. Evans published book on the
steam engine mainly devoted to his foIn
thereof In this book he gives directions
how to propel boats by means OF his engine
against the current Of the Mississippi; Priol
to this publication he associated himself
with some citizens of Kentucky-one Of
| whom was the grandfather of the present
Gen. Chauncey McKeever, United States
Army-the purpose being to build q steam,
boat to run on the Mississippi. The boat
was actually built in Kentucky and floated
to New Orleans. The engine was actually
built in Philadelphia by MIR. Evans and SEM
to New Orleans, but before the engine ar
rived out the boat was destroyed by ire OF
hurricane, The engine was then put TO saw
ing timber, and it operated so successfully
| that Mr.. Stackhouse the engineer who went
out with it, reported on his return. from tht
South that for the 10 months prior to his
leaving the engine had peen constantly a
| work, not having lost a single cay.
The reader can thus see the high stage Of
| efficiency which Oliver Evans has impaired
to his engine full so years ago. On this poin
DIR. Erngt Alban, German writer on thu
steam enfine, when speaking of the high
pressure steam engine, writes: Indeed Il
such perfection did he Evans bring it, tina
| Treyithick and Vivian who came after him
followed but clumsily in his wake, and do
not deserve the title of either inventors o.
improvers Of the high-pressure engine .Yhicl
the English are SO anxious to award to then
= When it is considered under what
| unfavorable circumstances Oliver Evans
worked his merit must be m UGH enhanced
and all attempts to lessen his fame only SHOW
| that he is neither UNDERSTOOD nor equaled b.
his detractors.
The writer has already shown that Their
are bright exceptions to this general charg
brought by DR.. Alban against British
writers, but the overwhelming mass of then
have acted more like envious children thar
like men when speaking of the authorship O
the double-acting high-pressure steam engin
the locomotive and the steam railway sys
tenn. Speaking Of this class of British writ
erS. Prof.. KenWlcL, Wnen abiding to tnel
treatment Of Oliver Evans, writes "Con
fiicting national pride comes in aid of in
diyidual jealousy, and the writers of one ma
ton often claim for their own vain and in
efficient projectors. the. honors due to tn
successful enterprise of foreigner" Man!
of these writer's totally ignore the yer;
existence of Oliver Evans, and all of then
attribute to Treyithick and Vivian tn
authorship of the high-pressure steam engin
and the locomotive. Yet, when doing SO Al
Of them substantially acknowledge tn
American origin of both inventions, becaus
it is morally certain that Trevithick an
Vivian got possession of the plans an
specifications Of his engine. Oliver Evan
sent them to England in 1794-5 by Mr. Josep
Stacy Sampson, of Boston, with the hop
that some British engineer would approx
and conformity with him take out patents 70
the inventions. Mr.. Sampson died in Eng
land but not until after he had extensiyel
exhibited Mr.. Evans's plans, apparently
however, without success. After MI
out a patent for high. pressure steam engin
This could happen pPper, and y, yet the invention b
int0 Cornwall a form of boiler hitherto mr.